Many of you will be familiar with the carrot and stick styles of management. They are commonly used across multiple industries, by many project managers - to varying levels of success. The stick approach uses punishment as a motivator to push people towards a goal. The carrot method uses reward as a motivator to achieve the same affect. The idea is credited to the work of Jeremy Bentham who wrote about the principles of reinforcement during the industrial revolution.
But does the theory actually work?
At the extreme, a manager using the stick approach uses fear, anger and stress to push people. These leaders are the ones who commonly raise their voice, engage in conflict and in some cases use verbal or even physical threats. They place themselves as judge and jury over a team or individual and challenge without recognition or reward. Examples of stick motivations include the threat of demotion or reduced responsibilities, being placed on less desirable projects or making teams work evenings or weekends to hit a deadline.
Occasionally, very occasionally, if used correctly, the stick style of motivation can work. For example, if a team does not understand the importance of a task or deadline, then the stick approach can be used to indicate the importance of a task, get attention and focus a groups efforts. But it has to be used sparingly and as a last resort or else it can actually demotivate. And remember, no employee should ever feel physically or psychologically unsafe, so the stick tactic should be used carefully and sparingly.
A manager who uses the carrot as a motivator typically engages a more friendly demeanour. They tend to be generous with compliments and positive feedback. A carrot style of management normally results in higher levels of employee satisfaction, a relaxed environment amongst a team and a focus on achievement. Examples of carrot motivators include rewarding through pay rise, promotion or bonuses, taking high performers to dinners or events and recognition through initiatives such as ‘employee of the month’.
The carrot approach sounds great in theory but comes with its own caveats. Carrot style managers can risk being too friendly with their teams and unable to provide feedback & criticism when it is needed. If a carrot manager is too relaxed or too much ‘one of the team’ then studies show performance and productivity actually drop. Low levels of stress are good for employee performance and overall job satisfaction. Psychologically we like to feel like we are making progress toward a goal and overcoming challenges.
The other problem with the carrot and stick approach is that too often the leader is making assumptions about what the motivator is. Today, money – such as pay rises and bonuses – are often the only reward given to a high performing employee. But, assuming people are paid fairly, very few people are solely motivated by financial reward.
So it is probably time that we move on from a motivational theory that stems from the industrial revolution. Things have come on a long way since then and we now have access to information about how humans work, on a psychological level, that we did not have before. Human beings are unique, complex and constantly changing and that this has to be reflected in our management and motivation styles.
So what does work? What actually motivates people?
- Understand the intrinsic motivation(s) of your team. Intrinsic motivation is when an activity / action brings inherent satisfaction rather than being related to a detachable consequence. For example, deriving happiness from helping a specific Client. Therefore, if you remove an employee from that Client you may be reducing their intrinsic motivation to work better and produce a result.
- Be balanced. Give praise where praise is due and feedback where feedback is due. Hold people accountable for both good and bad performance in a neutral and calm way. Separate the emotion.
- Address issues as they arise. Too often managers ‘save things up’ to discuss at a monthly catch up, or even worse at a performance review. If something needs to be addressed, do it then and there so corrective action can be taken.
- Lead by example. If you want your team to turn up on time, make sure you turn up on time. If you want your team to produce high quality work, make sure yours meets those standards so people know what they are aiming for.
- Listen…really listen. And then make any necessary adjustments. People innately want to do well and your job is to provide them with whatever they need to perform at their optimum.
Remember when it comes to motivation there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Create an environment of mutual trust and respect. Set the example for your team to follow. Get to know your team. Understand their values. Remove obstacles. Establish intrinsic motivators and adjust your management approach to provide what the team actually needs.